Submitted by:
Jason Adams
Bay District VFD

Colleagues,

So far we remain frustrated by the governor’s office.  We are still being prevented from progressing past the 1A priority group in St. Mary’s.  We have agreed to open our clinic to employees of All American Ambulance since they regularly provide routing transport service to our citizens.  But even with them added, we can’t use the vaccine we have available and we are barred from extending access to other citizens of St. Mary’s County, even though we are prepared to do so.

I told you earlier today that I might have action items for you, and now I do: Please call the governor’s office hotline numbers and tell him that we need permission for each jurisdiction to progress through the priority groups as the local citizens are vaccinated.  It is inefficient and wasteful to make smaller jurisdictions wait while larger or less well organized systems lag behind.  Delaying access to vaccine for the citizens of St. Mary’s and other counties that have been able to provide for their front line health workers is unfair to us and penalizes us for being efficient enough to get our shots delivered in a timely manner.  If we wait, we are wasting precious time that could save lives in St. Mary’s County.

The governor’s office number is: 1-800-811-8336
The COVID hotline is: 1-833-979-2266

Please call both numbers and register your displeasure with the delay.  Please also spread this information broadly among your membership and partners and ask them all to make the call.

I will update you as quickly as I can.

Thank you for your help.  Please know we are working for you.

In your service,
Shawn

Shawn A. Davidson, NRP
Chief
St. Mary’s County Volunteer
Emergency Medical Services System
(m) 202-577-6686
smcvems.org